Obamacare Still Key Issue

by Dick Morris | July 1, 2015 12:07 am

You can almost hear the sighs of relief coming from the liberal and establishment media after the Court ruled for Obama in the King v. Burwell case. “Thank God that’s over,” they seem to say. “Now the Obamacare issue has run its course. We won’t have to face it in 2016.” The media has proclaimed the issue over and the program vindicated in the courts and in public opinion. Some have even suggested that Republicans are hurting themselves by opposing it or repealing and replacing it.

[1]

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong

Their reasoning is just the kind of myopia that hampers the view from inside the beltway as it tries to relate to the rest of the nation. The Obamacare issue is far from over. In fact, it has hardly begun to have its real impact. Now that Obamacare’s future is assured by the Court, voters will have no other outlet for their passionate hatred of this law than through the presidential elections. And what better target to run against than the author of Hilllarycare herself?

Those who are enrolled in Obamacare are suffering having to pay up to $6,000 in deductibles for even minor procedures. They can’t find doctors or hospitals from whom to get care and often see no more than a nurse.

Every American has to notice the fundamental deterioration in medical care under the president’s program. Medical resources are rationed and actual medical care from a medical doctor is becoming increasingly scarce.

And then there are the premiums. Obamacare premiums started too high and keep growing year after year. The fundamental defect of the program is that it attracts mainly sick people and the administration’s hopes that the premiums of the young and healthy would carry the load is proving to be a delusion.

Their anger at the past and dread of future premium hikes is palpable. Remember that almost half of the Obamacare patients had insurance before they were forced to abandon it and move to more expensive exchanges for their coverage. The extra premiums and deductibles are to pay for insurance they don’t need, didn’t want and wouldn’t have chosen if they had the choice. Each year’s premium increase — this year running to 25 percent or more — only stokes their rage.

And, for the rest of us, there is the price of Obamacare to worry about as 90 percent of the enrollees get subsidies at our expense. We know that a new entitlement has been created and fear that it is here to stay. We see no benefit to it in our own lives and we worry that it will crowd out the entitlements we do need like Social Security and Medicare.

To the politicians, the Obamacare issue seems to have faded with the Court ruling. But the polling still reflects the over 50 percent disapproval that has been the case ever since it was proposed. More than 10 points separate the approval and disapproval numbers and that also hasn’t changed.

Just as Obama didn’t dare defend Obamacare in the elections of 2010 and 2012, choosing to ignore his own signature legislation as the campaigns unfolded. Now, once again, Democratic Senators will be hogtied trying to defend this program.

Liberals: Don’t fool yourselves. Obamacare will be just as strong a drag on your candidates as it was in 2010, and maybe more so.